I truly believed that poetry helped me to get through some very difficult times in my life. There is even a therapy out there simply dedicated to poetry. At the retreats I would like to host in the future I definitely want to have exercises for everyone to write poetry. Here I will share one of mine and then leave you with 2 prompts.

THE WEB OF LIFE

I am a woman of many talents
With the strength up God tingling up my spine
Looking ahead and peirce through the fog simply with my thoughts

A prodigious woman
Not dainty or quaint

Always looking for the answers in the unseen
I’ve become friends with the obscene

I miss you
But I finally miss myself more
I miss all the chances I never took
All the stones I never leaped
I miss the me who I was born to be
I miss talking to you into the wee hours of the morning
But with this new found silence
I find a new normal
I am listening again to the sound of my soul
Sometimes she growls
Sometimes she hisses
Sometimes she howls under the moon
But I listen
To every single thing she has to say
Not just the pretty
But the ugly
The mangled
The food stuffing down the words
The cobwebs collecting in my soul
Yes I witness it all
And I’m letting her be
For once in my life, I am letting her…
BE

This little old room of mine is comfortable and safe
But comfortable makes me commiserate
I can barely contain this possesive fire
It’s been burning for years
But I see the woman I am even though…
I may have some scars on my face
I may have some funny little ways
I may have shed a few too many tears
I may have hid for just a little too long
But the cobwebs look beautiful this morning
Catching light in the dew of the dawn
And though I’m tired and I yawn
Like a spider suspended in midair
I weave my web in the lattice of life

Your turn!

1) Write an unsent letter to someone who you’re trying to forgive or let go of. It can be poetic or any style of writing that you’d like.

2) Try viewing a situation that caused you pain from different viewpoints. Try writing from those different angles of looking at the situation

The more I learn about leadership, the more I am convinced that we need a significant paradigm shift. I believe that the leaders the world needs now are those who know how to host conversations, imagine change, paint, dance, sing, write poetry, love generously, live in right relationship with the earth, build community, imagine new ways of using and honoring our limited resources, teach, and play. I’ve talked with a lot of people who are reluctant to think of themselves as leaders, and that’s largely because they don’t fit the definition of leadership that we’ve become most accustomed to. Because they’re serving the world as artists, healers, gardeners, and community builders rather than only CEOs or government representatives, they assume that leadership has nothing to do with their work. We need these people to lead. We need to be brought back into connection, back to our communities, and back to our connection with the earth. That’s what Lead with Your Wild Heart is all about and that’s what I’d like to invite you into conversation about.

When you wake up in the morning and look at yourself in the mirror do you see a leader? I haven’t always looked at myself as one, but the more I learn about leadership the more I realize that we need a real paradigm shift around it. Many of us learn that there is certain mold we feel that we have to fit into to be seen as leader.

I still remember writing a book back when I was only 10 years old. In it I wrote 3 things that I wanted to be when I grow up. I wrote that I wanted to be the President of the United States, an artist, and a veterinarian. My girl friend in Elementary School learned from me that I wrote I wanted to be the President and she said, “You can’t be the President because you’re a girl!”–(Years later she said sorry for this. No hard feelings) But anyway, back then a part of me did believe that boys were better than girls. Now I know better and while I no longer wish to be the President, I still feel that I am a born leader. I believe I can find a way to still lead like a President, create like an artist and show compassion like a vet.

This world needs more than simply politicians and CEOs leading us. The world needs those who know how to lead difficult conversation, gardeners, community builders, healers, inventors, teachers, painters, people rescuing endangered species and so much more. We need these people to lead. We need to be brought back to connection and to step back into our power. So even if you’re working behind the scenes don’t dismiss that. Sometimes that’s where the magic happens. So the next time you look in the mirror, take a good look into your eyes. You may be surprised what you see.

This is another reason that I am passionate about hosting retreats and circles, especially where women can connect. I grew up as the middle child with two brothers. At one point I was just living with my father and brothers so I definitely got used to being around guys. I played street hockey, climbed trees and got into mischief. I always longed for a sister though. As I got older I started to notice I just felt comfortable hanging around guys and noticed I had more male friends than female. Women always seemed to form cliques, be competitive, gossipy and I didn’t care for that. I realized that I was doing myself a disservice though. I just simply had not found the RIGHT women. Women need women. We really do.

I have been getting into wire wrapping lately. This piece is made with an Amazonite stone which is great for the heart and throat chakra and speaking your truth peacefully. The pink jewelry piece wrapped around came from another bracelet that I decided to reconstruct.

I recently left some crystals out in the yard to charge and then forgot about it and they also got caught in a rainstorm too. When I went to pick them up I could tell they were clear, but I noticed one had a crack in it. This article here gives a good explanation as to why that happens.

I just wanted to write a blog post about someone who I’ve never met but still really admire. Her name is Chris Zydel, or rather The Wild Heart Queen. She is a creativity mentor in California who teaches classes, workshops and retreats. She also has an expressive arts teacher training which I’d love to partake in. Okay, but besides all that the real reason I love her work is she reminds you that you can be creative too and that it’s okay to be a little strange, eccentric and think outside the box, circle or whatever it is you’re stuck in! Here is one of my favorite blog posts from her which dives into the journey of trusting yourself as an artist.